When We Collide
by st-kaimily
Summary: Rachel always knew she and Kurt would make it to New York City. What she hadn't counted on was that the ex boyfriend she'd tried hardest to forget would be there too.
1. Prologue

**Summary: **Rachel always knew she and Kurt would make it to New York City. What she hadn't counted on was that the ex boyfriend she'd tried hardest to forget would be there too.

**Rating: **M (for language and suggestive content)

**Pairing(s): **St. Berry (heavy Hummelberry friendship)

**Set: **September 2013 (Rachel's first year of college)

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><p><strong>When We Collide<strong>- Prologue (end of 2x22).

He wasn't quite sure why he was here. He just knew that he couldn't stand to get on that plane back to Ohio, to continue to live the mundane life that that state limited most of its inhabitants to, and that he couldn't stand being anywhere near _her. _Watching someone who he'd assumed to be his girlfriend- though clearly he'd been wrong in thinking that pouring your heart out to someone and then sharing a kiss with them meant that they might have warmed to you a bit- make out with another guy, on stage, unscripted, had made him realise he couldn't go back. Not with the knowledge that he would always be second best to someone who was so far below him it was almost funny. He needed to prove himself, to show everyone that he was the best, and there was no way in Hell Ohio would allow him to do that.

The one thing Jesse never wanted to be was a failure. Someone who wasn't good enough to reach his dreams, to get to the top, to do what was expected of him as soon as he'd opened his mouth aged six and performed a flawless version of Bohemian Rhapsody, like the one that would eventually push him towards a fourth National title. He'd always been musical but it was then that he discovered his voice. And it was then he made the choice to use it to show everyone just how good he was.

As he waited for the door to open, he leant casually against the frame, trying to look as if he didn't have a care in the world. Not that it would work. She was one of the few people who could see through his act, her and her stupid daughter, knocking down his defences like a bulldozer would a building. He'd tried to rid them both of his life but they just wouldn't go away.

What was it about their family that got past him? Why did he let them in when he'd blocked everyone else out? He knew Shelby probably had a better reason for him to care. She'd been his mentor; the only adult in his life who'd ever cared about him. She'd taken his talent and nursed it into what it was today. She was as open with him as he was her.

Shelby was the first one to tell him he was the best. He'd never received any praise from his parents- the three St. James' hatred of each other was mutual; his parents were vocal in their disappointment and disapproval of his career choice. He smirked slightly, remembering telling Mr. Schuester that he was his parents' favourite of three children. Complete bullshit. He was an only child, always had been, always will be. Even if his parents were still having sex he doubted it was with each other. His coach, however, had pushed him and pushed him to constantly do better, because she believed he could. She pushed him harder than she did anyone because she knew he was destined to do well and she was sure as Hell going to prove it. Though Jesse's attitude had always been a superior one, due to his snobbish yet extremely lonely upbringing, it wasn't until then that he'd had confirmed what he'd always assumed; he was talented and he was going to prove he was the best.

But Rachel's ability to get past his barriers he couldn't explain. She wasn't meant to mean anything to him. She was a challenge, a conquest, an acting exercise. But somewhere in that he'd turned into the character he was playing and he'd fallen. Hard. And it had damned hurt.

He wasn't supposed to care about her. She was an innocent, naïve teenage girl. She was a child. Yet somehow, she managed to make him, the boy who hid behind so many defences, who put on an uncaring act and occasionally got lost said act, fall in love with her in a way that both exhilarated and terrified him. He'd never had feelings that strong and it scared him the effect she had on him, the control she had. All his life he'd been an island and for some reason she could change that.

The sound of a lock being undone shook him out of his thoughts. And then another lock. And another. Jesse frowned. Shelby had never seemed to be security obsessed, and considering how nice the area of New York she lived in was, he didn't think she had a reason to worry. Still, he supposed with a one year old, she was always going to be protective. Shame she hadn't extended the same courtesy to her real daughter.

"Jesse?" Shelby asked once she finally got the door open, looking at the teenager in shock. "What are you doing here?"

To say she was surprised would be an understatement. She and Jesse had said their goodbyes at Nationals a year ago. She'd told him she was moving to New York and he'd nodded, almost as if he'd been expecting it. They wished each other luck in life, thanked each other for being there before turning and walking in opposite directions. Quite a simple goodbye for two people who thrived on drama. But there was something extremely theatrical about it.

Jesse looked at his former coach for a moment before sighing. "I'll be honest. I need a place to live that isn't in Ohio." Shelby raised her eyebrows.

"And you want to live with me?" she asked, shaking her head slightly. "You realise I have a one year old daughter. And that this could be considered a little creepy. You used to be my student." She pointed out.

"Hear me out," Jesse said. "It's my understanding that you're directing a show. And Beth's age means that you have to take her to work with you. If you let me live with you, I'd have a place to stay and you'd have a full time babysitter. I'm going to apply for Juilliard, as I flunked UCLA, and if I get in I'll move into the dorms after. It'll just be for the summer. And I know you like me."

"Why did you fail? You're the most intelligent boy I know." Shelby frowned.

"I was arrogant. I thought others would do my work like at Carmel," Jesse shrugged. He didn't want to have this conversation right now.

Shelby nodded. "I suppose that didn't really prepare you for the real world," she muttered, more to herself than Jesse. "You can trial living here. Two-week trial, then we'll review the situation. Do you have any things?" she asked, a smile breaking out on Jesse's face. He hadn't really expected her to agree, especially not that easily.

"Just this suitcase," he told her, nodding to a black suitcase on the ground. Shelby didn't know how she hadn't noticed it before. With a sigh, she stepped back.

"Welcome home then."

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><p><strong> Review please?<strong>


	2. Chapter I

**A/N: **Thank you for all the alerts, though a few more reviews would be nice. I apologise for the wait, things have been busy but I'll try to be quicker next time. No Jesse in this chapter (sad, I know) but lots of Hummelberry.

**Summary: **Rachel always knew she and Kurt would make it to New York City. What she hadn't counted on was that the ex boyfriend she'd tried hardest to forget would be there too.

**Rating: **M (for language and suggestive content)

**Pairing(s): **St. Berry (heavy Hummelberry friendship)

**Set: **September 2013 (Rachel's first year of college)

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><p><strong>When We Collide<strong>- Chapter 1.

It was a bright, clear day when Rachel Berry finally arrived in New York. She'd visited before, but it wasn't until the second of September 2013 that she could call it her home. Even though she'd always thought of it as that, she hadn't officially taken up residence until she and Kurt arrived at Juilliard and were being directed towards their shared dorm.

Rachel couldn't believe she'd finally made it to New York City. Though they'd visited for Nationals last year, it was nothing compared to actually knowing she lived there. She'd spent her whole life dreaming of it, and now those dreams were finally beginning to come true. Two years ago, after New Directions' loss at Regionals and all the hardships she'd been through, she'd almost given up hope that she would one day make it. All her hope and spirit had been crushed, taken in the moment their enemy had been handed the trophy.

But they'd fought back, and they'd fought back hard. After her disastrous relationship with Finn had ended, Rachel had started to rebuild herself, or as she had put it, make a comeback. Her and Kurt's friendship had blossomed, allowing her to have the support she'd craved from her peers. During their second year as a fully functioning Glee Club they'd failed spectacularly- Rachel knew she and Finn were to blame for that- and they'd placed twelfth at Nationals.

_He _had been there. He'd taken her to prom, he'd kissed her, and he'd flown from Ohio to New York to watch her perform. In hindsight, Rachel saw her choice to be with someone who said a kiss had its own superman cape probably wasn't the best idea. Especially not over someone who were more perfect for her than she'd like to admit. In her senior year Rachel tried not to think about him and what she'd ruined. He was probably off living his life forgetting her.

She'd taken Finn back after their first defeat at Nationals. But it was during the summer that she realised Finn wasn't what she wanted. He complained when she blew him off to do workshops in the summer, he complained when she wouldn't put out for him and he complained when Rachel ranted and rambled about Broadway and musicals and everything she loved. He complained about Rachel being herself and by the end of the summer she was sick of it. Her dreams were big, bigger than Finn and she realised she didn't need nor want him. Kurt was glad- though Finn was now his stepbrother, he'd never exactly approved of the way Finn had treated Rachel.

It was Nationals in their senior year that they'd managed to take the National title. Unlike with all their other competitions, they'd nailed down, got the set list worked out and practised like Hell. Rachel and Kurt took the leads, recreating For Good before the rest of the group came in with another eighties song, Rachel and Puck on leads before she and Finn took the last song. As they received a standing ovation, she couldn't help but scan the crowd, her heart stopping as she could have sworn she saw a head of curls exiting the auditorium. When they were crowned champions she searched the crowd again but she couldn't see what she'd seen before. She wasn't even sure if she had.

Dumping their bags down and taking a few minutes to look around, Kurt and Rachel smiled brightly at each other, both overjoyed to have finally made it. After claiming their beds- without argument nor sing off- they began to make their way towards the main hall where the new students would be welcomed.

They stood before the doors, looking to each other. Kurt reached out to squeeze Rachel's hand, giving her a grin.

"You ready for this, Barbra?" he asked, using the nickname fondly. Rachel looked at him for a moment, then nodded sharply.

"I was born ready." She answered, speaking with conviction as a smile spread across her face. Kurt returned the smile, pushing open the doors to the hall, pulling her along as he tried to find them some good seats.

To say she wasn't nervous would be a lie. Any student starting college would be, but something about the school affected Rachel more than most. The fact that she was finally reaching her dreams, and knowing that at any moment, a bad grade could shatter them, both terrified and thrilled her. She'd always relished a challenge, and she knew that if she viewed the school as this, she'd be able to conquer it.

Sliding into a seat beside Kurt, Rachel glanced around at the slowly filling hall. Taking in the variety of people who were filing in, she was glad that she'd decided to allow her best friend to dress her. Although she was proud of her own clothing choices, she wanted to make as good an impression she could, and she had a feeling that her animal sweaters wouldn't be appreciated by those in New York City.

"Cute guy at ten o clock," Kurt's voice broke her inspection of others, glancing towards the dark haired boy he was nodding at.

"Kurt, you have a boyfriend," she reprimanded, turning to raise her eyebrows at her friend.

"Oh please, I was pointing him out for you. With those jeans you can hardly say he plays for my team." He told her, scanning the crowd for more potential boyfriends for Rachel.

"You know I don't want a boyfriend now. Between the three and a half I had in high school, I've had enough to last me, thanks," Rachel rolled her eyes, whilst Kurt simply made a tsk sound, ending the conversation as more people began to take their seats. As the attention focused on the speaker waiting at the front, Kurt leaned over to mutter to her.

"I hardly think you can count Blaine as anything, let alone a half,"

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><p>After they were welcomed to the university and the schedules and rules gone over, the new students were dismissed, given time to acquaint themselves with their dorm mates if they didn't already know them. Luckily Rachel had secured her room with Kurt, despite the gender difference, they had assured the university that they would be more than happy to be in together. Though she felt she was slightly missing out on having the cliché of hating her roommate who would surely be the opposite of her and not understand her needs, she was excited to share the whole experience of college with her best friend.<p>

"So, what do you think so far?" Kurt asked, sitting upright on his bed as he looked to Rachel.

"Looking pretty good to me. I just can't wait to see what the classes are like, I think that's going to be the thing that truly dictates whether we enjoy our time here," she answered him brightly, folding and putting away her clothes.

"True. Though I'm more concerned to see what everyone else in our classes are like." Kurt shrugged. Rachel turned to look at him.

"This is the difference between us. I'm not worried about the social aspect. If people don't like me, then they don't like me. I have no problem with that," she said.

"Glad you're not worried. It took me years to like you, so it's nice to know it won't affect you when no one else does," he teased, flashing her a smile. Rachel just rolled her eyes.

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><p>Classes started the next day, Rachel once again allowing Kurt to choose an outfit for her. They chatted idly as they waited outside their first class, subtly checking out the other students, as they were them. Rachel had been all for going up to everyone else and introducing herself (along with National Champion tacked on the end of her name) but Kurt had managed to restrain her. "We're trying to make you look sane, remember?" he'd quipped.<p>

Their first class was English, Kurt and Rachel securing seats at the back as their teacher smiled to the class. "I understand that this is your first lesson here, so I thought that to begin, we'd go around and just introduce ourselves, as you'll probably share a few other classes with each other too. I'm Miss Sparrow, I'm your English teacher."

"Do you think she's related to Jack?" Kurt muttered in Rachel's ear, his best friend giggling slightly.

"I grew up in Tennessee before moving here." The teacher continued. "I've done a few minor roles on Broadway put my love will always be teaching. I like reading and writing and I have a passion for theatre. Next?"

"How many times do you think she's heard that?" Rachel replied to Kurt, giving him a look as she turned her attention to what people in the class were saying about themselves. There was an obnoxious girl who introduced herself as "a New Yorker born and breed," and a sweet blonde boy who informed them all that he was from England. The teacher got closer to where they were sitting, eventually calling Rachel.

"Brunette girl at the back," she said, nodding to where they were sitting.

"I think she means you." Rachel muttered to Kurt, laughing as she stood up and Kurt just flicked her in reply.

"My name is Rachel Barbra Berry," Rachel began, and in his seat Kurt drew a star on his notes, smiling to Rachel. "I come from Lima, Ohio and my dream is to make it onto Broadway. I love to sing and perform and musical theatre is my life. I was in show choir in High School and my Glee club took Nationals last year. That's about it." She shrugged, flashing people around the room a smile before sitting down.

The teacher nodded, gesturing to Kurt. "Next," she said, Kurt standing up upon command.

"Kurt Hummel, also from Lima, Ohio. Singer, fashionista and play write," he said, Rachel smiling as she remembered the show he'd written about Pippa Middleton. "I enjoy Broadway and if I never get the chance to perform then I suppose I'll end up as Rachel's stylist or something." He glanced at his friend. "God knows she needs it."

There were chuckles around the room, Rachel playfully shoving Kurt as he sat down. The introductions continued, getting around the class quickly before the teacher thanked everyone and began with her lesson. Rachel tried to stay as attentitive as possible but considering they were studying a book she'd read and the rest of the lesson was going over the synopsis and the first few pages, discussing their views and preconceptions on the characters, it was hard for her to remain so.

"I want you all finished chapter one by next lesson!" the teacher called over the noise of everyone packing their things away and beginning to leave. Rachel made a mental note to simply skim it to reacquaint herself with the text.

As she and Kurt made their way to the front of the classroom and the door, Rachel felt someone tap her on the arm. Turning, she found the English boy smiling to her.

"Hey. I'm Peter," he said, extending his hand to her. Rachel reached out and shook it, returning his smile. His hands were very soft, making her own tingle slightly.

"Rachel," she said with a nod, looking him up and down. His hair was a dark blonde, his build similar to Kurt's, though he wasn't as pale. His eyes were bright blue, Rachel finding herself lost in them as she stared at him. It took her a moment to regain herself, trying not to blurt out how cute she thought he was. His smile was just so angelic. "You said you're from England, right?" she asked as she moved off slowly, walking with him. Peter nodded.

"Yeah, I just came here for college," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets, still smiling sweetly to her.

"You chose a good place. New York is amazing." Rachel smiled brightly.

"It really is," Peter nodded again, glancing down. "So, Rachel, what class have you got next?" he asked, Rachel's smile growing more as he said her name.

"Music theory," she answered easily, already having memorised her schedule.

"Shame, I'm not in that class." Peter said, shrugging slightly as they got to the door. "I go right here." He gestured to the side.

"I'm afraid I go left," Rachel also shrugged. Peter just smiled.

"Maybe I'll see you around some time." He said, flashing her one more beautiful smile before moving away.

Rachel watched his blonde hair disappear down the corridor before she felt an arm loop in hers, a smug voice in her ear.

"Someone's been making friends," Kurt said in a singsong voice, leading her down the corridor. Rachel just grinned to him.

"You think he's cute?" she asked.

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


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